What is the best blogging platform in 2016

WHAT IS THE BEST
BLOGGING PLATFORM
IN 2016?
By Shell Harris, Big Oak Studios, Inc.

Best Blogging Platform in 2016?

Blogging Platforms
Big Oak Studios, Inc. 2016Best Blogging Platform
 Congratulations, you have decided now is the
time to start a blog (see our post about starting
a blog)! Now you are trying to get a handle on
what is the best blogging platform to use.
 Luckily, I am here to help you make the right
decision and you should feel confident in your
choice by the time you finish this slideshow.

Choosing the Best Blogging Platform
 Well, let’s start with the world’s largest, and my
personal favorite blogging platform,
WordPress. In fact, this site is built on the
WordPress platform. We also build our clients’
sites with WordPress. (See more about how
we can build your WordPress site.)
 Here is a list of blogging platforms along with
their costs and some pros & cons on each.

WordPress.org
 Cost: The software is free. Since this is a self-hosted
option, you will need to pay for hosting. See our step-by-step
tutorial in setting up your blog with hosting.
 You will be using WordPress.org software on a third-party
hosting solution. This means you will have full control to add
plugins, which provide additional functionality to your blog
that can otherwise require expensive development costs. (So
this option saves you money!) You can also edit your HTML
code and how the site looks so you can have a professional
site that looks unique.
 This is the best strategy if you are planning to use your blog
to make money or start a business. It is best for bloggers who
want to build a brand and businesses that are looking to sell
a product or advertise a service.

WordPress.org
Pros:
 There are literally thousands of themes to choose from,
giving you more options to choose something unique for your
blog. If you want to look at some professional themes with
online support, you can go to ThemeForest.com. There are
many free WordPress theme options to choose from as well.
 You can also choose from thousands of free plugins and
many paid plugins to give your site functionality you would
normally pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for. But be
careful, some plugins have been abandoned and aren’t
supported and can break your site.
 WordPress is very SEO friendly, providing out-of-the-box
options that give your blog a strong foundation for ranking
well.

WordPress.org
Cons:
 WordPress is the most popular blogging platform which
makes it a target for hackers and security threats. Keep your
software up-to-date and look at using security plugins.
 Anytime you host with a third party you will have costs. There
may come a time when your host will expect you to have
some technical knowledge, but a good host, such as Bluehost
(which provides phone support), will offer competent
customer support.
 Using free plugins and themes can leave you vulnerable to
attacks (when the plugin developers don’t update them
regularly) and most have no support in case something
breaks.

WordPress.org
Who is WordPress.org perfect for?
 Bloggers who want to make money and build a
business or a brand
 Professional bloggers who are serious about
their time and money being used effectively.
 Hobby bloggers who are looking to take the
next step.

WordPress.com (hosted at
WordPress.com)
Cost: Free
 WordPress.com provides hosting for your blog.
They store all your files which means they
control what themes and plugins you can use.
It keeps your site safe, but limits the control
you have. This is a low-cost option and you
can always upgrade to a self-hosted blog (see
above) later. You can get comfortable with the
WordPress Content Management System
(CMS) without spending money.

WordPress.com)
Pros:
 Setup is easy and free.
 Since you are limited to what you can do, it is
simple to use. You don’t need to know HTML
code or have any development experience.
 There are a lot of themes (designs) to choose
from that are decent.

WordPress.com)
Cons:
 You have limited functionality (you can’t choose from all those wonderful
plugins).
 Without the ability to make changes and your limitations to design your site
can appear amateurish, especially since your domain name will have
WordPress.com in it (such as myblog.wordpress.com).
 You kind of don’t own your blog, since WordPress.com is hosting, which
means you probably won’t be able to make advertising money on it. Some
sites can, but this is complicated in who gets the ability to advertise. You
should assume you won’t be able to. WordPress.com can also suspend
your site if they don’t like what you are writing.
 You won’t rank well in the Search Engine results. It is just a fact. You won’t
see many WordPress.com sites ranking, for whatever reason. So your
search traffic will be less than if you used third-party hosting.

WordPress.com)
Who is WordPress.com (hosting with
WordPress) perfect for?
 Hobby bloggers who want to see if they can
make the commitment without the initial cost.
 Bloggers who want a no-cost option.
 Personal bloggers who enjoy writing for fun.

Blogger.com
Cost: Free
 Blogger is owned by Google, which is a good thing as
you will be able to advertise through Google’s
AdSense and potentially make money. While not as
easy to use as WordPress software, Blogger is a
decent blogging platform for those who are looking to
get a taste of the blogging life with limited investment
of money. As with WordPress.com, you can get
acclimated to the software and see how you like it.
There is no option to upgrade to third-party hosting as
with WordPress. You would need to export your blog
posts and import at a later time to start the new
hosting.
Big Oak Studios, Inc. 2016
Best Blogging Platform

Blogger.com
Pros:
 Free and simple to use.
 You can make money by using AdSense
advertisements (but probably not a lot).
 You can make edits to HTML code, so you can
modify somewhat.

Blogger.com
Cons:
 Not a lot of themes. (And not as many as
either WordPress option.)
 You won’t be able to self-host, so you will
probably be blogging on Blogger for the life of
your blog.
 As with WordPress.com, you will have a
subdomain (like myblog.blogspot.com).

Blogger.com
Who’s Blogger.com perfect for?
 Hobby Bloggers who are looking for no-cost,
but the possibility of making advertising
revenue.
 Personal bloggers who enjoy writing for fun.

Tumblr.com
Cost: Free
 Tumblr (without the “e”) is more of a social
platform for bloggers. Most of the posts here
are reposts, showing others what things you
like and enjoy (which means there isn’t much
original content being created and therefore it
is more of a microblogging platform for fun). I
would avoid this if you really want to write and
are looking to reach an audience who will pay
for what you have to say and offer.

Tumblr.com
Pros:
 They host your blog so you have lots of
storage.
 There are many, many themes to choose from
(and some you have to pay for).
 You can customize with HTML.

Tumblr.com
Cons:
 Limited functionality and only a few plugins to
expand your blog’s capabilities.
 No real monetization options.
 Doesn’t look like a professional blog or
website.

Tumblr.com
Who’s Tumblr.com perfect for?
 Hobby bloggers with a passion for their topic.
 Bloggers who want easy posting with content
such as quotes, images, videos and so on.
Most Tumblr users aren’t writing a lot, but
reposting found content. It’s a fun time for
sharing, but not for serious, professional blogs.

TypePad.com
Cost: $8.95/month
 TypePad tries to create a balance between the
professional blogger/business blogger and the
hobby blogger who doesn’t mind spending less
than $10 per month to get their information to the
public. The price provides more features and
gives you a blog that has a professional look and
feel. I wouldn’t recommend it over a
WordPress.com self-hosted blog, but there are a
lot of fans and a big online community that use
TypePad.

TypePad.com
Pros:
 They provide hosting on their servers, but the
good news is your own your blog.
 Simple to use.
 Unlimited storage so you can upload to your
heart’s content.

TypePad.com
Cons:
 While $8.95 is cheap you can still self-host a
WordPress site for less (with a long-term
contract) and get more functionality.
 You can customize, but it is limited.

Wix.com
Cost: $4 – $24.92/month
 Wix is another professional blogging platform, like
self-hosted WordPress.com, but you don’t have to
worry about third-party hosting. Since they provide
eCommerce functions, WIX can be ideal for those
looking to sell products online and start an
eCommerce blog. You don’t get full control over
your online shop, but you certainly get enough
control to dip your toe into the world of online
eCommerce without investing a lot of time or
money.

Wix.com
Pros:
 You can put advertising on your site.
 There is no limit to bandwidth
 Easy to use.
 You get plenty of online storage.
 They have plenty of professional
templates/themes to choose from.

Wix.com
Cons:
 It can be expensive, compared to other
options.
 Ecommerce works, but isn’t set up for
complicated orders.
 Using a template can limit your customization.

Wix.com
Who is Wix.com perfect for?
 Bloggers who don’t have the time, talent or
money to design a site. Wix provides great
options.
 Great for hobbyists who want to promote their
craft and products. Wix is targeting the artistic
market so musicians, photographers, and
hobbyists in general can certainly find success
at Wix.
 Bloggers looking to sell a product.

Wix.com
To give you a quick snapshot of the information
above, I have created a comparison chart of all
the blogging platforms on this page. All of them
can help you get your voice out on the Web, but
some will be a better fit if you want to build a
business, create a brand and make money with
your blog. Next Slide

Blogging Platform Comparison
WP.org WP.com Blogger Tumblr TypePad Wix
Price $0
$0 or $99
per year
$0 $0
$8.95
month
$4 – $24.92
per month
Hosting
included
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Custom
domain
included
No, but you
can use one
you own.
No No No No No
Templates 1,500+ 100+ Not many 1000 100+ 100+
Plugins 20,000+ No No No No 10+
Ease of use 6/10 9/10 8/10 9/10 8/10 8/10
Perfect for…
Business blogs Yes No No No No Yes
Hobby /
Personal blogs
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Novice
Bloggers
No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

What is the best blogging platform in 2016

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Editor's Notes